Welcome to the June Newsletter! New this month: Green Aventurine gemstones; Clary Sage essential oil; Affirmations; Book of the Month and birthday gemstones.

June Newsletter

How has 2019 been for you so far? As we approach the halfway point of the year, this is a good opportunity to take stock of our lives and see where we're heading. Often in the New Year we start out with good intentions, making resolutions to improve our lives. The months fly by and we get side-tracked by life's problems and challenges and our plans get pushed to the back of our minds. One way to keep focused and motivated is to use the power of positive affirmations. The words we use every day influence the subconscious mind which accepts everything we say as being the truth and attracts corresponding events and situations into our lives. Negative thoughts and beliefs, such as "I'm not good enough", "I'll never lose weight/find love/get a new job" or "nothing good every happens to me" get into your head and multiply and can become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Positive affirmations help to change the way we think and change our lives for the better, whether we're looking for a new job, have a creative idea we wish to fulfil, or need help to feel at peace in a stress-filled world!

To work well, affirmation need to be believed (even if your logical mind thinks them impossible!). It can help to visualise the positive outcome as if it's already happening. Affirmations also need to be repeated often - and this is where a reminder can be useful. You could stick post-it notes around your home or workplace (this is how it was done in the olden days!), set up a reminder on your phone at regular intervals, or even tie a piece of string around your wrist. I've made a small selection of affirmation bracelets which combine gemstones and crystals with positive affirmations which you can find on my Affirmation Bracelets page. If you'd like me to make one specifically for your own needs, please email me with your requirements.

When you're looking back and assessing the past few months, don't forget to congratulate yourself for all you've achieved, or difficult situations you've coped with. Summer Solstice, or Litha, on 21st June is a time for celebration. Life would be very dull if it was all work and no play, so get out there and have some fun! Be grateful for the good things in your life, enjoy the summer sunshine and take time to stop and smell the roses.

I'm taking my own advice and planning a few days away this month. Any orders received after Friday 14th June will be posted on Tuesday 25th.

Love, light and blessings

Julia

Green Aventurine

Aventurine is a form of quartz with flecks of glittering fuchsite. It's available in orange, blue and red, but Green Aventurine is the most widely available. It is a stone of adventure and good fortune and is often used as a lucky talisman. It can help you find creative ways to attract financial prosperity and increases your own belief in your talents and abilities.

Green Aventurine activates, strengthens, protects and heals the heart chakra. By removing blocks in this chakra, it helps heal negative emotions such as anger, fear and heartbreak while strengthening self-love, empathy and compassion.

This calming crystal teaches patience and tolerance, which reduces feelings of anger or irritation. It aids relaxation, restores emotional balance and promotes a sense of wellbeing. Green Aventurine is also helpful for reducing exam-related stress.

Keeping a piece of this soothing gemstone beside your bed or under your pillow can help you sleep peacefully. It also stimulates dreaming and helps you find ways to make your dreams come true.

Green Aventurine has a strong connection with the Earth and helps to protect against electromagnetic energy, geopathic stress and environmental pollution. It also protects your aura from people who drain your energy.

This gemstone also enhances creative expression, decisiveness and leadership qualities. It encourages motivation, individualism and self-determination. It's a great stone to wear when you need to make important decisions or find creative solutions to your problems.

On a physical level, Green Aventurine benefits the heart, lungs and adrenal glands, stimulates fat metabolism and is believed to help lower cholesterol levels. It reduces inflammation and helps repair muscle injuries. It can also ease migraine headaches and relieve skin problems.

Clary Sage essential oil is steam-distilled from the flowering tops and foliage of this herbaceous plant. It has a warm, herbaceous, slightly nut-like fragrance which can be overpowering if insufficiently diluted. (Clary Sage shouldn't be confused with common sage, salvia officinalis, not widely used in aromatherapy due to its possible toxic side-effects).

Used correctly, this oil has a deeply relaxing yet uplifting effect on the mind, which makes it useful for treating anxiety, depression, stress and nervous tension. It's best used only at times when concentration isn't needed, as its effects can range from feelings of relaxation to euphoria and intoxication! It also has aphrodisiac qualities.

Clary Sage encourages confidence and trust in yourself, and the ability to put problems into perspective. It can heighten intuition, inspire creativity, encourage vivid dreams and improve dream recall.

Clary Sage is a powerful muscle relaxant, and can be used in a massage blend for lower back pain, abdominal pain and muscle spasm. Used in the bath, its relaxing effects can ease conditions created or made worse by stress and tension, such as migraines and digestive problems. It may also help lower high blood pressure.

Its effects on the hormones can restore emotional balance, making it useful for sufferers of PMS. It can also be beneficial for menopausal symptoms such as mood swings or hot flushes.

This is a supportive oil to use during convalescence as it inspires hope and creates a general feeling of wellbeing. Its tonic effect on the body may also help strengthen immunity.

Clary Sage is useful for treating greasy hair and dandruff by reducing sebum production and may also encourage hair growth.

On a subtle level, Clary Sage connects with the sacral chakra, instilling calmness, confidence and tranquillity, while removing feelings of guilt. It helps restore feelings of harmony and a sense of purpose.

Due to its hormonal effects, Clary Sage should not be used during pregnancy. However, during childbirth, a massage on the lower back with a blend containing this oil may help relieve painful contractions. Large amounts may cause headaches and nausea, and it should not be used after drinking alcohol and this may induce nightmares. For more information on the safe use of essential oils at home please see my Basic Aromatherapy page.

Birthday Gemstones

Every gemstone and crystal is governed by planetary forces, and wearing one corresponding with your astrological birth chart is believed to strengthen these celestial energies.

Moonstone, Pearl and Alexandrite are the traditional gemstones for June which includes the birthdays of those born under the signs of Gemini (21st May-20th June) and Cancer (21st June-22nd July). Both of these astrological signs also resonate with the energy vibrations of Calcite and Chrysoprase. Other beneficial gemstones include Amber, Carnelian, Chalcedony, Emerald, Moss Agate, Rhodonite and Ruby for Cancerians, and Agate, Apatite, Aquamarine, Chrysocolla, Citrine, Sapphire, Tiger's Eye and Tourmaline for those born under the sign of Gemini.

Sometimes life can get your down, and even the most positive, upbeat people can find themselves being dragged down by all the negativity in the world. Over time, we can lose our 'sparkle' - that spark of energy or inner glow that makes us feel happy, positive and enthusiastic about life. This can lead to overwhelming feelings of fear, low self-esteem, lack of motivation, anxiety and depression.

Doreen Virtue has a way of taking these painful subjects - including the effects of trauma and abuse - and writing about them in a clear, easy-to-read, gentle way, with no unnecessary jargon. She explains how coping mechanisms we may have used to deal with difficult situations in the past could be creating more stress and anxiety for us in the present, and give suggestions on how to change them. There is also a good description of the causes and effects of stress hormones, together with ways of building up our resilience to stressful and traumatic situations. Most of these are not new ideas - healthy eating and relaxation, for example - but when suffering from anxiety, depression, or burnout (a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion), all logical thought has a way of miraculously disappearing, so it's good to have all the information to hand. As with any book, you take from it what you need or what is useful for you and leave the rest. I like to think of this one as a stress-management tool for the spiritually-minded or anyone who is highly sensitive to energies.